


“Eight Furries”

by LadyCatOfTwo1996



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Aidoneus is parent of eight pups, Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Flirting, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Greece, Kore is a vet student, Pet Store, Romantic Fluff, Veterinary Clinic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27446137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyCatOfTwo1996/pseuds/LadyCatOfTwo1996
Summary: Kore Tsitak is a senior college student with no money. One day she gets a job at a local clinic and pet store, where she meets the mysterious owner of eight gorgeous furries.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 55





	1. Retail Assitant

**Author's Note:**

> This is a human AU that occurs in the setting of "Modern" Greece. I wanted to make Kore more independent and more self-confident (like a goddess, if you know what I mean jaja ). I decided to keep the drachma currency, but imagine that it is worth the same as the euro.

"Oh my goodness, this month's tuition is going to wipe out my savings!", Kore said as she looked at the statement she had been emailed by the cashier's department where she was studying. She was in her senior year of college, and since she had initiated her degree, she made the decision to become independent and leave the comfortable and cozy environment of her family house. She managed to pay for her education, as she was studying at the US (University of Sicily), one of the top universities in the region, completing a veterinary technician degree program, with a concentration in biological sciences.

She absolutely loved her career, and had managed to get half a scholarship, but since she lived alone, it wasn't enough to support all her expenses, so while she was studying she worked at several temporary jobs. Most times she only slept 4-5 hours; if she wasn't at the library studying, she was proudly making a living. At that particular time, she was interested in doing an internship in the Central Laboratory of Greece (CLG), but if she chose that program she would not be paid for the next 6 months. She was only depending on her savings which were not significant, and were all intended to pay her college tuition; it was hardly enough to cover her housing. "I think it's time to look for a job," she told herself. 

Kore was living in a small apartment in the city center and near the campus. It was a cozy loft with large windows, where she had a large collection of plants that embellished every corner. She was especially proud of her array of cactus and succulents, always finding it incredible how those little plants could withstand the most extreme conditions and were especially resistant to the summer temperatures. Kore also had a vast library, and was enthusiastic about compiling small jars of different types of traditional herbal teas; she was quite addicted to chai tea, a delightful combination of black tea and cardamom, and another of her favorites was the oriental cranberry and spiced tea, which had been brought to her by one of her best friends, Eros, who was constantly traveling all over Europe, and had always taken it upon himself to bring her those little treats. She was quite satisfied with everything she had been able to accomplish in her life, even though at the time she was a broke student. 

She got out of bed and went into the shower. She slipped on a pair of comfortable jeans and a white sweater with small floral embroideries, along with a pair of black leather vegan boots. She minimally applied makeup, because to be honest, she was aware of her subtle beauty and was not ashamed of it. She finished off some toast that almost accidentally burned, served with strawberry jam and a cup of lemon tea with coconut honey. _¡Ready to start the day!_ She grabbed her purse, which like her boots matched a different shade of black, and headed out to walk the streets of the town where she lived in, to see what opportunities she might find. She actually wasn't very fussy, she had done all kinds of jobs, from florist, bakery assistant, store attendant, lab technician, and the list goes on. She really had always understood that no matter what work she did, she always gave 100% of her effort and learned different things. The supervisors and owners were always saddened when she would leave, as she was a very good employee, but she was determined to set out her goal, which was to have its own veterinary practice and animal sanctuary, together with a farm-orchard in the countryside of Sicily.

Walking and wandering around, Kore stopped in front of a small pet store and veterinary clinic, where little puppies for adoption could be seen in the display window. She couldn't help her heart to flutter with joy, she loved dogs with an incredible passion, but she had never had the chance to have one, since she was hardly ever in her apartment and wouldn't have wanted the little pet to be alone all the time. Her mother never allowed her to have any animals either, and she always resented that decision. 

"OMGSH Doggiessssssss!!!!!!!! (ノ ͡ ♥ ω ͡ ♥)ノ Which of you are the cutest?"

She started making them funny faces and weird noises from the street. Anyone who could have seen her, would have thought how ridiculous she looked, but she really didn't give a _crap_ . The only thing she wanted at that moment was for at least one of the puppies to come near the window, so she could appreciate them better. _Well, even if I don't adopt any of them… it wouldn't hurt to go in and pet these cute little pups for a while._

Kore walked into the store, ringing the entrance bell. 

"Welcome Cerberus Pet Shop and Clinic!", said a girl with short black hair and powerful facial features. "My name is Hecate, if you need anything I'll be in the back of the store arranging this cat food that just arrived, okay?" said the girl with a smile, while carrying a fairly large sack. 

"No problem. Thank you very much... Emm, I actually... wanted to see the dogs in the window if it's not too much trouble" said Kore with some shyness. 

"No bother, in fact, you can go over and pet them, they're all so gentle! We usually rescue them here and thanks to the _generous_ donations of _some clients_ (¬‿¬) we can give them shelter and cure them in case they are ill-injured or they need some special care. If you want to support us, we have a box there, where we receive donations... It doesn't have to be money, it could be paper, food, sheets, it works for us", said the young woman pointing to a bulky box in the corner of the store. 

"Thanks for the info, I'll keep it in mind to bring some things that could be useful to you" said Kore, as she went where the dogs located, picking one up and gently placing it in her lap. _Gods, what a cute little thing! I wish I could really have one. I can imagine how lucky this girl who works here must be, having to see all kinds of animals every day, seems to be a lot of fun._

Kore spent some time playing and watching the puppies, and snooping around the store. It had a particular smell of food, canned chicken, turds, and detergent. 

"Hey, um... since you're here I don't know if you can help me… but my _boss_ asked me to find someone else to help in the store, if you know of anyone who wants to handle all kinds of animals, and extravagant owners... well let them know that we have a position available here", said Hecate.

Kore felt that fate was on her side that day, and turned to the girl with a gigantic smile on her face.

"Oh great! looks like today is my lucky day! Well I was just starting to look for a job in this area, and I definitely LOVE animals. So this job seems to be perfect! If you want I can leave you my cv, so you can forward it to your boss...", said Kore as she practically bounced around the store. 

"Oh, I guess that makes two of us, I thought nobody liked this kind of job. I was practically doing everything in the store, except for the veterinary stuff, that's already taken care of by part of our staff", said Hecate as she walked to her desk, looking for a piece of paper that was at the bottom of the drawer. "Here" pointing to a paper she put on the counter. "This is the job description, the salary, schedule and all the information you need. You can review and think about the offer. I'll write down my number so you can text me if you have any questions. Anyway, if you're finally interested, you can bring this same signed paper tomorrow, with a copy of your ID, and if you need any college permissions, just bring your schedule, and we'll figure it out, all clear?" said the young woman. 

"Absolutely YAS, woah I don’t know how to thank you! I didn't expect any of this". 

"Don't worry, I saw how _enthusiastic_ you were and how _you treated the dogs_ , otherwise I wouldn't have suggested it slightly". Kore took the sheet and left the store happy.

Kore returned to her apartment and proceeded to dress up in her most comfortable pajamas, a camisole. She proceeded to relax and pour herself a glass of white wine (her favorite), because every once in a while, when everything went well in a day, she would celebrate these little accomplishments on her own. She settled down to review the form that the girl in the store had given her. It said the following:

**Cerberus Pet Shop and Clinic -** **Vacancy for Retail Assistant**

 **Job description:** The attendant must be in charge of the store and the merchandise warehouse. Be in charge of invoicing and payments. Maintain order and cleanliness of the establishment. Be in charge of part of the functions of the bath and care of the rescued animals. Have high proactivity and customer service, but above all love the animals. Have basic knowledge of caring for different species _(and so on...)._

 **Schedule:** 8:00 a.m. - 18:00 p.m (monday - friday)

 **Salary:** $500 drachmas/mo

 **Benefits:** Insurance by law, extra allowances, discounts, _etc._

**Employee signature:**

**CEO signature:**

_¡500 drachmas!_ This is more than I expected, it will definitely help cover my expenses, and also help me with the savings, before I start the internship. 

Kore slept early that night, she was determined to drop off the form early in the morning to start her new job immediately. Who knew, she was studying to be a vet technician, perhaps _,_ she could also assist with some cases with some veterinarians who were already practitioners. 

* * *

_¡Rise and Shine!_

Kore stopped in a nearby coffee shop and bought two cups of coffee and a freshly baked box of doughnuts before arriving at work. She was like that, she liked to be generous if someone was kind to her; and she definitely felt that Hecate, whom she barely knew, had made the recruitment process much easier. _She was really nice._

"Good morning Kore, nice to see you here again! I guess you brought the form I gave you yesterday, didn't you?”.

"Hello, yes! Um, right here it is," said Kore, as she took out her bag, the copy of her documents and the paper that represented a contract. "I wanted to let you know, I'm also a veterinary technician's term student, so if you need any extra help, I'm definitely glad to assist”.

"I think it's wonderful, Kore. We definitely need extra hands around here, our _boss_ likes to rescue a lot of animals, and there's always a high flow of badly injured and abandoned creatures".

"Excellent! I was hoping to start today. I got you coffee, I thought that teaching me everything would require a lot of your energy, so I brought a backup" said Kore, as she gently handed Hecate the warm drink and opened the doughnut box facing towards her.

"Thanks, you didn't have to! I wasn't wrong about you. I already like you too much and I know our customers will be very pleased with you. Come on over here and I'll show you around”. Hecate took a sip of her coffee and took a bite of the sweet treat, while gesturing to Kore to get closer.

"Okay Kore, follow me. This is the area of the vet clinic where medical cases are conducted. You should know that we have contracts with other facilities that allow complex cases they have, to be transferred to our clinic. CT scans, all lab tests and surgery are performed here." She continued, "To your right, if you see that large window where the cages are, we have the grooming room. This is one of the most requested services. Since we took the opportunity to hire the best groomers in Europe, we are certified to meet the standards for dog competitions. At the end of the corridor, we have the playground, it has a swimming pool, and it is basically a nursery. We receive all kinds of animals (mostly dogs), and take care of them for the period of time that the owner requests; but apart from that, we offer spa, and other luxury services. As you will notice our front is small, but the complex is quite big. And finally, the warehouse, where we receive all pet products, for all kinds of needs. Do you have any questions? I imagine you must be familiar with this type of environment by now, I know you will do wonderfully".

"No Hecate, I think everything is amazing. I have already been familiar with the inventory-and-box process. I'm eager to get started actually," said Kore, as she looked around curiously. She was actually impressed, the store actually looked much smaller on the front, but everything was extremely modern, and high technology. 

“Excellent because I suggest the following, just for this week I will be assigning you the tasks you must do until you become familiar with the operations and routine that takes place in the business, and then, from then on, you will take the control. In fact I should let you know, next week I will be taking my vacation, so you will be alone for two weeks. If you have any questions in my absence, you can always ask the veterinary staff, or our boss, although we usually don't see him since he has so many other business-related matters to attend to. I trust that you will do well.”

“Understood and what will be my first task of the day?” said Kore, extremely enthusiastic. 

"Well we have some puppies that were left two weeks ago here in the nursery. The owner will pick them up tomorrow, but we must have them ready and bathed. So your task will be to get them groomed, confirm and make a very general checkup of their health supervised by Vet. Hermes; and record the documentation that has all the services we have done to them. I must advise you that this particular owner is quite meticulous, he has _eight dogs_ , and most of them are scandalous, and behave a little badly, but they are affectionate if you know how to handle them… ", said Hecate with a huge smile on her face.

Kore went to the nursery area to look for the puppies of the mysterious " _meticulous_ " owner, as Hecate named him. She began to go through each cage looking for the names on the list her co-worker had provided: 

  * _Cerberus_ \- 6 year old Doberman. Black. Friendly. Needs a special diet (eggs whites & special chicken liver canned food).
  * _Cordon Bleu_ \- 2 year old Pomeranian. White. **Extremely aggressive**. No longer presents diarrhea.
  * _Mushroom_ \- 10 year old Siberian Husky. Multicolored. Friendly. Healthy. 
  * _J.P._ \- 1 year old Golden Retriever. Golden. Friendly. Healthy. 
  * _Russell_ \- 1 year old Shiba Inu. Orange. **Anxious**. Need application of ear drops every 8h.
  * _Fudge_ \- 4 year old cocker spaniel. Multicolored. Bipolar. Has dry food allergy.
  * _Big John_ \- 4 year old Siberian Husky. White. Friendly. Healthy. 
  * _Pomelia_ \- 4 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Extremely Friendly. Recovering from injuries. Separate from the pack at playtime.



While Kore was exploring and getting to know this “mysterious” owner's pack of dogs, she couldn't stop thinking about how well cared these dogs were. First, she began to take each pet to the vet examination. Then once this process was finished, she took them outside one by one to the yard, where she was planning to give them a good and deserved bath. All the dogs behaved extremely well, contrary to what Hecate mentioned to her.

“This is a dream come true. Who is a _good boy !_? Ah Cerberus?” as he stood on his belly frantically wagging his tail “What do you say Russell? Cordon Bleu, STOP chewing on Fudge 's paw!”. 

After hours of intense play and friendly reproaches, and when all the puppies were scrubbed and dried out, each one of them finally looked like a plush stuffed animal toy. Kore was exhausted, each dog seemed to have an infinite source of energy that she herself envied.

It was already afternoon, so the dogs decided to settle down in a corner full of warm indoor cushions and Kore decided to stay for a while caressing Pomelia (her new favorite), _she was so tiny_. She felt she had to protect her from the crazy Cordon Bleu "the paw-chewer".

After the dogs relaxed, she went to the office next to the entrance, where she had to check the documents Hécate had left on her desk, register the list of procedures that the dogs received, and then prepare a detailed invoice to be sent to the owner.

 **"HOLY SH...** **Total: $16,025.00 drachmas!!!** This owner must be INSANE or LOVE his pets excessively" said Kore, as she reviewed the ridiculously long list of services consumed:

  * **_8x Luxury spa service. Total: $1,200.00_**
  * **_8x Massage service. Total: $400.00_**
  * **_3x Canine Psychological Training Session (note: only to Cordon Bleu, Russell and Fudge) Total: $3,000.00_**
  * **_8x General checkup. Total: $2,665.00_**
  * **_14x VIP kennel stay (night x pet). Total: $3,000.00_**
  * **_1x emergency service and surgery (see breakdown in another bill) (note: Pomelia case). Total: $5,600.00_**
  * **_8x grooming. Total: $160.00_**



_UMMMM most likely has to be one of these millionaire bachelors, who have excessive amounts of money. These dogs are hellishly lucky, I haven't even been to a spa in my whole life haha._

It was around 21:00 p.m. when Kore completed all the paperwork, everything was ready. She took the freedom to leave the whole shop spotless, and organized. No one knew it but she was obsessed with cleaning up her house.

"Heck! I didn't even notice the time” Kore went around the whole complex and only two assistants stayed for the night, to keep an eye on the other pets. She wrapped up her day, heading to the nursery with the intention of returning the pack she had been attending, to their respective kennels.

Kore felt the exhaustion, as she had been working all day and decided to sit down for five minutes to check her phone, and without realizing it, she fell soundly asleep. The pack of eight furry creatures decided to come closer and snuggle around her, forming a small circle of protection. Kore didn't know it, but she had inadvertently stayed in the place the whole night, and when she woke up, she got the biggest surprise of her life.

* * *

Hecate always opened the store at 6:00 a.m. She enjoyed getting up early, besides the fact that the facility had 24/7 vet emergencies services. When she arrived at the establishment, she was pleasantly surprised that everything was flawless. _Oh boy, Kore worked hard yesterday._ She began to brew a cup of coffee, and it didn't took 10 minutes when a man entered through the front door. 

"We have not opened yet... Oh!" her eyes widened enormously, and she immediately moved on to welcome the visitor "Hi Hades! glad to see you today, I thought you were going to send your driver to pick up the dogs".

"Good morning Hecate" he said with a fine and elegant gesture on his face. "Ahh you see, today I had to drop by. As you know, Pomelia's case was rather delicate and I needed to make sure her transportation to the house wasn't stressful. How is everything?" said the man, as he watched everything around him. 

"The usual, we are having a large influx of dogs going to the _Mediterranean Dog Cup_ and the owners expect them to be fully trained overnight, though it is a good business for us. Would you like some coffee?" said the young lady, as she poured two cups of the drink.

"Yes, please. Goddamn this place is extremely organized. I like it.”

"I've had extra hands here at the store, sometimes the workload is a bit much for one person, you know".

"I'm glad. Well back to business, I already have placed the money from the bill I received last night and additional funds, you know, to take care of the rescued. Now, I want to see my babies! where are my pups? they must have missed me while I was out of town," Hades said while sipping large gulps of coffee.

"They must be in their kennels, if you want you can go in and see them, as I finish initiating the cashier's system. I'll be there in about 15 minutes to move them to your vehicle if you like" said Hecate, as she turned on the computer in front of her. 

"Don't worry, take your time. I'll go check." Hades walked through the halls of the complex and arrived at the nursery, however he noticed that none of his pets were there. A small wave of panic ran through his body. _Where the friggin' hell have they gone? ???? Did they escape? NOOO NOT AGAIN!_

While running to find a sign of the wild pups, he passed by a large window that pointed out to the yard. His eyes almost bulged out of his face when he witnessed the most unexpected scene in front of him: his eight furry dogs huddled around a beautiful young woman.

_What's going on here?_


	2. The sleeping beauty & the scoundrel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kore and Hades have a quite particular conversation ( ͡❛ ͜ ʖ ͡❛ ).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! Thanks for giving me so much support and lovely comments in the first chapter. I've been a little busy with the college, but please enjoy this short chapter.

Kore was comfortably curled up on a huge cushion. She felt strangely warm... cozy... and damp... and hairy... and.... ಠ_ಠ HAIRY!? _WAAAAAIIIIITTTTT A SECOND! I DON'T HAVE WOOLLY BLANKETS IN MY BED!? WHAT THE FUDGE IS GOING ON HERE!? DID I OVERSLEEP AT… AT MY… NEW JOB!!? AND WHAT THE HELL IS INSISTENTLY POKING AT MY ARM!?_

Upon Kore realizing that she have fallen asleep, she widely opened her eyes as if she had spotted a ghost. She suddenly felt extremely nervous, and unaware of the guest that was there with her, she jumped off the cushion as if nothing had happened.

"Good morning miss. Did you have a pleasant rest?" said Hades, in a playful tone. Kore was startled by the voice of the unexpected guest, and rolled her head to see where the man, _a very tall and nice-looking man,_ was standing. 

"I-I-I... It's not w-what it looks like..." said Kore as she felt the nervousness rush through her words.

"Oh, and what is THIS supposed to look like?” said Hades, gesturing with his finger the setting in front of him. “I just witnessed this scene of a little lady snoring like a factory worker after a hard construction day, while a small stream of slobber came out of her mouth. Ohh, almost forgot!! I would like to add that she doesn't even have her shoes on” said the man, as he was pointing with his eyes at the adorable doggie socks Kore was wearing, and which gave a glimpse of one of her fingers. “I think I must assume, that for this crime scene, that YOU miss, have indeed stolen my dogs. That's exactly what it looks like! Ah! and that you probably should paint that toenail better" Hades approached the young lady as a grin crossed his lips.

Kore felt her face turning reddish from embarrassment. _Did this man just LECTURE me about my toenails!? Is he one of those perverts!?_

“HA! HOW RIDICULOUS! FIRST OF ALL SIR, STOP EYEBALLING MY FEET! AND SECONDLY I DIDN'T STEAL ANY OF YOUR DOGS, AS YOU'LL NOTICE THEY'RE ALL HERE AND STILL ASLEEP. So you'd better SHUT UP so they can sleep peacefully, after all hard work I did yesterday caring for these little whirlwinds, and trying to make sure that Cordon Bleu, that little white crazy pup over there, didn't end up BITING OFF the other dogs' paws, THANK YOU (¬_¬)!" said Kore, in a somewhat irritated tone, as she went back to get her boots and immediately hide the crime of her peeling nails. _SHIT! this must be the most embarrassing day of my life, I should run away from here!_

Kore quickly began to put on her shoes. Trying to ignore the jerk who had snuck up on her first hour in the morning. Hades watched the whole scene and slowly approached the dogs. 

"Please DON’T touch them! Their owner who seems to be intensely in love with these dogs will come and get them later, and I would honestly dislike it if they got muddy running around in the yard, or if they got hurt jumping around like crazy. Can you fucking believe it? This guy paid a goddamn fortune to leave them here for two weeks! And Pomelia, you see that little puppy over there? she's had several surgeries. You see how cute she is? Don't touch her!" Kore said, standing with her arms extended between the dogs and Hades. She hadn't even finished getting the other boot and she was already guarding with her life some pups she had met a few hours ago.

"Oh miss, I am delighted with your enthusiastic support for these dogs. But I think, I must confess to you something..." Hades proceeded to make some weird whistles with his lips, and immediately the dogs woke up and went to lovingly squash their owner with licks and bites.

"You see? This pack belongs to me".

Kore's face flushed with the realization. She hadn’t thought for a second that the pack actually belonged to that man. “Sweet Olympus! I do not know what to say. DAMN IT! It seems that I am constantly doing stupid things to embarrass myself. I'm sorry for talking to you like that” Kore said, as she covered her face with both hands.

Hades began to laugh softly, as Russell licked his ear frantically and Cerberus tried to settle in his lap even though it couldn't fit. "Thank you for taking care of them. I know you didn't mean it, and I promise I will not snitch on you. I also behaved like a complete jerk, will you forgive me?" said Hades in a gentle tone. 

“Ouh thank you... I- I think I can forgive you or something. Let me make it up to you and get you a cup of coffee, it's too early..." said Kore. 

“Miss, don't worry about that, Hecate already gave me a mug since I arrived, but thanks anyway. You better focus on putting on your missing boot” said Hades, with a huge smirk on his face. 

“You’re such a scoundrel! Stop judging the state of my feet! In fact, if I could walk around freely without shoes for eternity, I would. I bet yours stink”. _What a glorious day for an incredibly handsome idiot to be evaluating my facades and besides that, my hair is a wreck! I need to get out of here!_ “Well sir, it was a pleasure to meet you and your dog family, if-if you need anything, my work schedule starts at 8! For now I really really have to go home to... you know... compose myself a little... and change my clothes that smell like uh... cute doggies. Have a wonderful day!”said Kore, quickly getting out of the yard and gathering her belongings.

"Goodbye Miss, I hope to see you again soon" said Hades, while he was still surrounded by his dogs. _The sun is not out yet, and already this morning has started quite entertaining._

Kore rushed to her apartment, and as soon she closed the front entrance, she collapsed dragging her back against the door. _Damn, what was that?! This can't happen again Kore, or you'll continue to embarrass yourself in front of more customers! Imagine if THAT had happened in front of your boss! FUCK, and this dude was a total moron! But... But that bright smile... his wet hair, as if he had just taken a shower in the morning... Aggggggh Get real, Kore! HE IS A TOTAL SCOUNDREL!_

Kore hurriedly took a hot shower, and immediately proceeded to change her clothes. She only had 30 minutes to get to her work, before her shift began. Her lower back and neck were killing her, as she slept through the night in a somewhat uncomfortable position. She decided to bring breakfast to eat on the way, taking out of the fridge, three pieces of baklava she had baked a couple of days ago. With renewed energy, Kore set off on her journey to the shop. 

As she entered the store, she was shocked to see Hecate and the man she had seen earlier, comfortably arguing on the counter at the entrance, while there was a pile of paperwork everywhere. 

"Good morning Kore, you've arrived at a very good time! There's someone I'm looking forward to introducing to you," said the dark-haired young woman with great delight. She took Kore by the hand, and dragging her to where Hades stood said, "Kore, this is our sneaky and generous boss, Hades Bakirtzis. He usually comes to the store to manage all the financial, legal, and obviously organize the charity events. He is a great animal lover".

Kore's mouth opened wide, she wanted to say something, anything "A-A-Pleasure sir, uh, I-I-my name is Kore Persephone Tsitak, s-sir"said the young lady, as intense heat took over. _HE IS MY BOSS !!!!!_ ಥ_ಥ (screaming internally ).

“Miss Tsitak, so you are the newest addition to the squad. Please, call me Aidoneus" he said, smiling widely.

"Great! Now that you know each other, Kore assists the boss in finalizing these tax statements. I'll take care of getting the dogs to the car" said Hecate, as she quickly disappeared down the central corridors.

"Sure! Yeah, no problem," said Kore biting her lower lip, as she tucked one of her soft caramel curls behind her ear. _Okay Kore, you can handle any situation, pull yourself together, apologize to your boss and pretend nothing happened._ Kore proceeded to look him straight in the eye "Mr. Bakirtzis, I think we started off on the uh... wrong foot! I'm very very sorry that you encountered the most unusual sight inside your facility this morning, I swear I won't do it again, I'll work overtime if you want, I need this job, I apologize again" said kore very quickly.

Hades took out his glasses and approached the young woman in front of him, "Miss, please take this nice cup of espresso. There is nothing to apologize for. Now would you please help me finish this paperwork nightmare? I have to go out to my office soon..." said Hades, when a deep rumbling in his stomach interrupted the conversation.

Kore began to chuckle. She withdrew from a small paper bag a piece of baklava wrapped in wax paper, "Here, I hope you're not allergic to pistachios or walnuts. I baked it myself," Kore said, as she handed the pastry to her boss. 

"Oh thank you, you don't need to..."

"Nonsense, your stomach is barking louder than Cerberus when he is starving," the lady said with a smile.

Hades took a bite of that treat, and immediately he could feel it melting in his mouth. He noticed the taste of cinnamon, honey, and vanilla. And without realizing it, his palate transported him to his homeland in Syracuse. He remembered those summer afternoons, gazing at the azure waters of the Mediterranean, when he came running through the meadows and his mom was waiting for him with that special and sweet snack. Without being aware of it, his eyes briefly watered. And he devoured what was left of the pastry in a few seconds. Hades sensed that the young woman was staring at him. _Those huge golden eyes like Sicilian sunsets._ His heart fluttered for a few seconds.

"And tell me, did you like it?" said Kore, somewhat intrigued by Hades' reaction.

"Umm... I have to confess, miss, that apart from being an excellent dog snatcher, you are a very gifted baker. I enjoyed it. Thank you very much," said Hades, disguising his emotional state. 

"Pff, and that was not even good as other baklavas I have done, I didn't have enough dough, and the honey ran out... I promise that if I do it again, I will bring you some, okay?" said Kore, slightly blushing. She could not hide her enthusiasm, she deeply appreciated when someone complimented her culinary talents.

As they finished working on the paperwork, Hades couldn't help but notice the subtle pink of her cheeks, and the freckles that crossed like constellations on the bridge of her nose. _Cheeks like the Sicilian night._

After a short time in silence he replied, "I'll be looking forward to it".


End file.
